Service providers are delivering an increasing amount and variety of television content, over broadband networks, to an ever-growing number of users. Broadband networks are expanding infrastructures to meet the growing demand to deliver and manage a growing array of television content, such as new television channels, television programs, Video on Demand (VoD) titles, and/or interactive television services intended to enhance the television viewing experience. Service providers are deploying interactive television services by embedding enhancements, such as interactive user applications (e.g., Enhanced Television (ETV) applications), into broadcast video streams.
Service providers often use a particular set of protocols and/or standards to deliver interactive user applications to users. Interactive user applications are often developed using special tools that generate interactive user applications that are compatible with the particular set of protocols and/or standards. These interactive user applications enable users to interact with television content by permitting the users to purchase goods and/or services, respond to advertisements or promotions, participate in voting, etc. Unfortunately, because most of the interactive user applications are based on the particular set of standards and/or protocols, interactive user applications have been slow to evolve and/or have limited functionality compared to applications in other media, such as web-based applications.